Apparatus for applying pressure to shoe bottoms



July 8, 1952 MAWBEY 2,602,173

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING PRESSURE T0 SHOE BOTTOMS Filed 00;- 26, 1950 I 26 44 50 36 Inventor L a wre nce Mdwbey Patented July 8, 1952 APPARATUSYFORAPPLYING PRESSURE To I SHOE BOTTOMS Lawrence Mawbey, Leicester, England, assi'gnor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J a'corporation of New Jersey Application October 26, 1950, Serial No. 192,166 In Great Britain December 1'1, 1949 8Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for applying pressure to shoe as embodied in apparatus for use in attaching soles by cement to shoe bottoms, although it will be understood that the invention is not thus limited in its application.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved apparatus forapplying pressure to shoe bottoms which is of simple construction and is particularly useful in the cement attachment of rubber soles and the like to shoe bottoms irresp'ective of. the bottom contour of the shoe.

To this end and in accordance with a feature of the invention the apparatus comprises a'box adapted to be filled with water or other suitable liquid, the'top wall of the box being in the form of a diaphragm, providing a normally flat work engaging surface but having a depending fold which will permit upward displacement of the diaphragm where necessary during the pressure applying operation to insure the application of substantially uniform pressure throughoutbottom of the-shoe. The fold is so located that if a sole is attached to the bottom of a shoe to which a heel has been previously attached, that portion of the diaphragm underlying the shank portion of the shoe will be -forced upwardly by forces transmitted throughthe'water when pres sure is applied to force the shoe against the dia-' phragm. s l

The end portions of the pad are supported by soft resilient members which may be in the formof blocks of sponge rubber or like material. In accordance with a further feature of the invention that block which is adapted'to underlie-the forepart of. a shoe has its heelward end tapered upwardly from the bottom. of the box so that it may be forced downwardly causing the transmission of pressure through the liquid to that portion of the diaphragm underlying the shank portion of the shoe and permitting the forepart supporting block more readily to conform' to the forepart of the shoe.

To prevent undue upward displacement of the diaphragm outwardly of the. sides of the shoe and in accordance with another feature of the invention the diaphragm in these locations is clamped against upward displacement by suitably formed rubber blocksengageable with the top surface of the diaphragm.

The above and other features of the invention including various details of construction .and novel combinations of parts will now be described by reference to the drawing and pointed .out in the claims.

bottoms and is illustrated In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one form of pad box embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the underside of the diaphragm forming the top of the pad box, this figure also illustrating the blocks associated with the diaphragm; Y I

Fig. 3 is a section on the line IIIIII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section of a portion of the apparatus along the line III-III of Fig. 1, showing the position of the parts when no work is on the pad box; and

Fig. 5 is a section on the line V-V of Fig, 1.

The apparatus comprises a box or receptacle [0 provided with a filler pipe !2 on one side thereof through which water or other'suitable liquid is poured into the box. This pipe'is-normally closed by a plug I6. The top wall of the box has an outwardly extending flange l8 against which is clamped a rubber diaphragm 20, a clamping member 22 being provided for this purpose,'the clamping member being fastened by nuts and bolts 24 to the flange I8 of the box l0.

Attached to the underside of the diaphragm 20 is a block preferably formed of sponge rubber and shaped in plan as shown in Fig. 2 this block being fitted into one end of the box 10 and being of substantially the same depth as that of the'box. The block-has wing-portions 28 and a central portion 30 the bottom of the central portion being tapered'on the underside so that it is normally spaced from the bottom of the box, as shown inFig. 3. This permits the portion 30 of the block 26 to bedepressed when a'shoe-is pressed against the diaphragm in applying pressure to a shoe bottom as will appear'as the description proceeds.

Also attached to the. underside of the diaphragm 2B is a block 32 arranged to underlie the heel end of a shoe, the .box being provided with an upwardly extending flange 34 for positioning the block 32 in the end ofthe box I0.

The diaphragm 20 is formed with a fold of material 36 extending transversely of the pad box and which when. no pressure is applied thereto lies on the underside of the diaphragm in the box as shown in Fig. 4 so that the diaphragm forms a substantially flat work supporting surface. The folded portion 36 of the diaphragm is sealed at its ends 38 to prevent the escape of water from the interior of the box.

Upon applying pressure to a shoe placed on the pad box, downward movement of the portion 30 of the block 26 will cause displacement'of water therefrom forcing the diaphragmubwardly To prevent the diaphragm from being forced upwardly and outwardly of themarginal portions of the shoe, blocks 40 of rubber .or-other suitable material may be clamped against'the upper j surface of the diaphragm. These. blocksare of 4 the top wall of said box, said diaphragm normally providing a substantially flat shoe bottom-engaging surface but including a transversely extending depending fold of material permitting, in response to the pressure of a shoe on the diaphragm, conformation of the diaphragm to the bottom of the shoe, and soft'resilient blocks supporting the toe and heel ends of the diaphragm and resting on the bottom of the box.

3. Apparatus for use in applying pressure to 5shoe bottoms comprising a box arranged to be -filled with liquid, and a flexible diaphragm formany suitable shape but are shown as bemgsubstantially semicircular in plan and sloping upwardly toward the outer portions of the pad-as shown in Fig. 5. Metal clamping bars 42 held in place by screws 44 are provided for. securing these blocks in position. Also, if desired, a suitable mask plate may be mounted'ovor' the toe end, of the diaphragm particularly when the pad boxis to be-;used for operating upon the bottoms of shoes fOf'SmBJ']. size. The pad boxis provided with two pairs of outwardly extending trunnions 46, 48 v(Fig. 1) by which the pad box maybe mounted. in a "suitable form of pressure applying apparatus ,injeither of two positions. Theparticular form of apparatus in which, the pad box is mounted forms no part of the: present invention and is not'illustrated herein but it will be understood that preferably the apparatus will include heel, and toe abutments 50, 52 andmeans for relatively moving the heel and tceabutments as a unit and the pad box toward andaway from each, other.

.Iny-the operation ofthe apparatus a shoe to V which an outsole is to be attached is placed on the pad and the shoe may have a flatbottom or may be provided with a heel as illustrated in Fig. 4'in, which case the breast of the heel is placed over the {old as illustrated. Irrespective of Whether or not the shoe bottom is flat, substantially equal pressure will beexerted throughout the shoe bottom by the transmission of fluid pressure in the pressure-applying operation and the diaphragm is'so constructed-with the circularly shaped fold 36 that it offers no appreciable resistance to moving upwardly into the shank portion of a shoe having a heel thereon, as shown in Fig.3. It will be apparent that, :if the shoe has a heel thereon, the pad will also exert pressure against the breast of the heel. It Willthus be seen that the pad box although being of very simple construction may be usedequally well in operating upon flat bottom shoes or shoes with heels, the breasts of which may be vertical or not.

Having thus described my invention what'I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Apparatus for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising a box arranged'to be filled-withtliquid, and a flexible diaphragm forming the top wall of said box, said diaphragm normally providing a substantially flat shoe bottomengaging surface but including a transversely extending-depending fold of material permitting-in response to pressure of a shoe on the diaphragm, conformation of the diaphragm to the bottom of the shoe.

2. Apparatus for use in applying pressure to sh e bottoms-co prisi a boxarran ed to: b filled: with liquid; a" flexible diaphragm forming "ing the. top wall of said box, said diaphragm norizmally providing a substantially flat shoe bottom- -engaging surface but including a transversely extending depending fold of material permitting, in response to the pressure of a shoe on the diaphragm, conformation of the diaphragm to the bottom-of the shoe, said fold normally being substantially circular in shape.

4. Apparatus for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising a box arranged to be fllledwith liquid, and a, flexible diaphragm forming the top wall of said box, said diaphragm normally providing a substantially flat shoe bottomengaging surface but including a transversely extending depending fold of material permitting, in response to the pressure of a shoe on the-diaphragm, conformation of the diaphragm to the bottom of the shoe, asoft resilient block supporting the toe end of said diaphragm, the heelward end of said block tapering upwardly from the bottom of the box to provide a space for liquid therebelow.

5. Apparatus for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising a box arranged to be filled with liquid, a flexible diaphragm forming the top wall of said box, said diaphragm normally providing a substantially flat shoe bottomsengaging surface but including a transversely extending depending fold of material permitting, in

response to the pressure of a shoe on the diaphragm, conformation of the diaphragm to the bottom of the shoe, and a soft resilient block supporting the heel end of the diaphragm and extending toewardly substantially to said fold.

6. Apparatus for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising a box arranged to be fllled with liquid, a flexible diaphragm forming the top wall of said box, said diaphragm normally providing a, substantially flat shoe bottomengaging surface but including a transversely extending depending fold of material permitting, in response to the pressure of a, shoe on the diaphragm, conformation of the diaphragm to the bottom of the shoe, and rubber blocks supporting the heeland toe ends of said diaphragm, the toe-supporting block tapering upwardly from the bottom of the box toward the heel end thereof, the heel supporting block extending toewardly substantially to said fold.

7. Apparatus for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising a box arranged to'be filled with liquid, a flexible diaphragm forming the top wall of said box, said diaphragm normally providing a, substantially flat surface for supporting a shoe but including a transversely extending depending fold of material permitting conformation of the diaphragm to the bottom of a shoe in response to the pressure of the shoe on the. diaphragm, a resilient block for supporting the toe end of said diaphragm, a resilientblock for supporting the heel end of said diaphragm, the foldin said diaphragm being located adjacent to said heel end supporting block, andmeans 5 engageable with the upper surface of the diaphragm for preventing upward displacement thereof along the sides of a shoe being operated upon outwardly thereof.

8. Apparatus for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising a box arranged to be filled with liquid, a rubber diaphragm forming the top wall of said box, said diaphragm normally providing a substantially flat surface for supporting a shoe but including a transversely extending depending fold of material permitting conformation of the diaphragm to the bottom of a shoe in response to the pressure of the shoe on the diaphragm, a rubber block for supporting 6 the toe end of said diaphragm, a rubber block for supporting the heel end of said diaphragm, the fold in said diaphragm being located adjacent to said heel end supporting block, and means engageable with the upper surface of the diaphragm for preventing upward displacement thereof along the sides of a shoe being operated upon outwardly thereof, said last named means comprising a pair of tapered rubber blocks clamped against the upper surface of the diaphragm at opposite sides thereof.

LAWRENCE MAWBEY.

No references cited. 

